Days of Significance
by The Slytherin Corner
Summary: Because everybody has a day that means something just a little bit special. - -Various characters from various anonymous authors for The Slytherin Corner fortnightly challenge.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Okay, this is in response to the Fortnightly Challenge at The Slytherin Corner forum set by thethymeisright. The challenge was to write about a **day of significance**, with the only requirement that the day is in some way meaningful to the lead character.

**my character**: Dominique Weasley

* * *

of angels and pretty smiles

* * *

Dominique Weasley is four (and three-quarter) years old, and she has decided that today, December 19th, is the most special day in her _whole life_.

Today is Christmas Tree Decorating Day At The Burrow (and yes, the capitals are necessary), and this year is _her year._

So the family has this enormous angel that goes on top of the tree every year, and ever since Victoire was born there's been a tradition that every child gets a different year in which it is their turn to put the angel on top of the huge tree.

She stands slightly to the side, longlong curls shifting down her back as she jiggles from foot-to-foot in anticipation, Victoire's old party dress too big for her small frame. Lily comes over to stand next to her, and wordlessly the two little girls join hands.

"They're slow," Lily comments, watching her older brothers fight to get some fairy lights up with the aid of a levitation charm from Uncle Percy. "We could do it better."

"Can't," Dominique replies, frowning slightly. "Got to hold the angel."

Lily reaches out to touch the silky skirts, and Dominique lets her because Lily is her favourite cousin.

"She's pretty," Lily ventures after a short silence, and then a mischievous grin breaks out across her face. "Prettier than 'Toire."

Dominique pauses in her jiggling to think about that for a moment, turning the angel around carefully in her small hands to regard it thoughtfully.

"But 'Toire is blonde," Dominique points out, showing the angel to Lily. "And the angel is red."

"A redhead, Nicky," her father corrects, smiling down at the two girls, pausing in his mission to get a glass snowflake on the tree. "Or ginger. Not red."

Dominique glares at him, and Lily next to her loyally mimics her expression.

"Red," the two girls say simultaneously, arms folding and feet tapping under their pretty party dresses in synch.

"Okay," Bill says neutrally, holding his hands up in surrender. "Red it is."

Dominique turns to Lily and they nod at each other seriously. Then Lily suddenly flops down onto the ground, feet stretching out in front of her, her back against the radiator.

Dominique sits down next to her more carefully, clutching the angel, and taps her feet against Lily's.

"When's your turn?"

Lily gazes enviously at the angel and folds her arms, bottom lip pushing out.

"Not for _ages. _First it's Fred and Roxie and Hugo, 'cause I'm the littlest."

"You're the same height as me!" Dominique exclaims, outraged on Lily's behalf. "You should be next!"

"It's an age thing, girls," a voice announces to them, and they crane their heads upwards to find Harry smiling down at them, glasses slightly askew from a ten-minute-long battle with some mistletoe and the front door. "That's why Lily has to wait a few years."

"But I'll be _old_, Dad," Lily complains, and Harry laughs and bends down to pick her up, settling her onto his hip.

"Why don't you come help me put the reindeer up in the kitchen then, huh?"

"Bye, Dom," Lily says, waving as her father carries her away. Dominique can't wave back because she's holding the angel, but she shouts a goodbye to Lily and then returns to watching the room again.

There's her father helping Aunt Ginny and Aunt Angelina with the tinsel, and various cousins running around. Teddy is pretending not to be enjoying himself because he thinks he looks cooler like that, and Victoire is sitting next to him, kicking her legs against the stool, copying Teddy and looking like she couldn't care less.

Dominique thinks they're stupid.

Then there's baby Louis, who is even more annoying than gnomes, getting in everybody's way and trying to eat the glass baubles. And James and Albus are fighting again.

Dominique cheers as Albus clonks James on the head with a wooden Santa, but then James pushes Albus over and Ginny notices and banishes James to the kitchen with Harry and Lily – where a successively larger series of crashes can be heard – and Albus to the upstairs landing with Grandma and Aunt Audrey.

"You're being very good, Nicky, thank you," Ginny comments, bending slightly to pat the little girl's curls.

"Got the angel," Dominique says by way of explanation – usually she'd be the one (with Lily) at the centre of all the chaos. "Got to be careful."

"Well, you're being very careful, I'm very impressed," Ginny replies, and Dominique smiles as Ginny moves away to pick Louis up and save him from Fred and Lucy's rampage on the floor.

"Dom," someone says, and Dominique looks up to find Roxanne standing above her, her glossy dark curls bound back with a white ribbon. "Uncle Charlie is looking for you."

"Oh," Dominique replies, scrambling to her feet. "I'll go see what he wants."

"I'll come," Roxanne decides, and they hold hands to climb the stairs, Roxanne's ivory skirts brushing silkily against Dominique's smoky grey ones.

"Charlie!" Dominique calls, abandoning Roxanne's hand to rush towards her favourite uncle, throwing herself into his arms and giggling as he throws her upwards, catching her neatly on the way down.

"How you doing, Squirt?" he inquires, and she solemnly holds the angel up to show him. "Oh, big responsibility today."

"Yes," Dominique replies seriously, holding the angel in one hand and laying her head on his shoulder. "Will you lift me up? Can't reach by myself."

"Doesn't your dad want to?" Charlie asks, and Dominique raises her head to frown into his eyes.

"I don't know. But _I _want _you _to, and today is _my _day."

Charlie doesn't even bother arguing – Dominique has exactly the same stubborn streak as he does, and he knows how pointless trying to change her mind is.

"Okay, then," he replies easily, hefting her more safely up into his arms and beginning to trek downstairs, taking Roxanne's hand as well on the way down.

"Oh, Charlie," Grandma sighs as the three of them come out onto the landing. Dominique can just see Auntie Audrey half-in one room, apparently trying to extract Albus from the cupboard where he's wedged himself.

"Oh, Merlin, Mum, don't look at me like that," Charlie complains, and Dominique glances down at Roxanne, wondering why Grandma is crying.

"S'okay, Grandma," Roxanne says, dropping Charlie's hand and running towards her to hug her. "Don't be sad. It's nearly Christmas!"

"I know, sweetie, it's just that I worry about Charlie," Grandma tells Roxanne, bending down slightly to stroke her head gently. "I think he's lonely without any children of his own."

Charlie laughs, and Dominique laughs too because when he does it means something is funny.

"Mum, you know the dragons are my whole family," he replies with the air of someone who is sick of repeating the same thing. "And, besides, I have Dom, don't I?"

Dominique nods furiously, risking the angel to wrap her arms around Charlie's neck. "He's my favourite uncle," she confides to Grandma, nestling up against his chest.

"And there you have it," Charlie informs his mother decisively, heading down the stairs, reaching out to take Roxanne's hand again. Grandma lets them go, turning instead to help Auntie Audrey get Albus out of the cupboard.

When the three arrive back down in the sitting room the whole family is assembled, the tree decorated, and a breathless hush falls over the room as Charlie appears. Roxanne lets go of his hand and runs over to her dad, holding her arms up to be picked up.

"Are you ready, baby?" Bill asks, coming over with his arms outstretched.

"Uncle Charlie is going to lift me up," Dominique informs him seriously, clutching the angel tightly in both hands. _This is her moment_. "I asked him."

Bill catches Charlie's eye briefly, and then gracefully concedes.

"Okay, Nicky, it's your day."

Dominique beams, and Charlie turns her around neatly in his arms and holds her by the middle just as Grandma and Auntie Audrey come back in with Albus, who is looking quite embarrassed.

"Okay, you ready, Dom?" Charlie whispers in her ear, and she nods, her whole being rigid with concentration, as he lifts her up towards the top branch of the tree.

Dominique strains, just able to reach it, and _ohso_carefully places the angel on the topmost branch.

Charlie tosses her upwards slightly and then catches her neatly as she falls, giving her a brief hug and then setting her down.

"Well down, Dominique," Grandpa compliments, and Dominique flushes a bright, pleased red as Roxanne and Lily storm towards her to give her a big hug.

"You were great!" Lily exclaims as the three girls dance around in a big mess of an embrace. "You were so good!"

Roxanne echoes the sentiments, and Dominique catches Charlie's eye and beams when he winks before slipping away into the kitchen. She continues smiling as she receives praise after praise, deciding that this is most definitely the most special day _ever._

_

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_**A/N**: If you're going to favourite any of these, we beg you to please not do so without reviewing, thank you!_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**My character is Charlie Weasley.**

Undeniable  
___'undeniable_ adj. difficult or impossible to deny; irrefutable: _undeniable_ facts'

:-:

It's Christmas Day and it's a hideously cliché one to chose but that's just her all over. And Charlie really isn't one to complain because it means he gets to be there when his daughter (no, wait, his _niece_) is born.

Because that's all she is: his niece. Bill and Fleur's second daughter. That's it, she's just another niece.

But he's convinced that this baby Fleur is having is _his_ all because one _stupid_, drunken night of Charlie-and-Fleur has turned into a pregnancy. Charlie doesn't want to believe he's managed to impregnate his brother's wife but he's pretty sure he's gone and done it.

:-:

He waits outside with the rest of the family, all of who are continuing Christmas in the waiting room at St. Mungos, because he can't be with Fleur. What could he say? "_Oh, Bill, don't mind me, I'm just going to sit in and watch your wife in labour because I don't think it's your baby she's carrying... I'm pretty sure it's mine_!"

Yep, that would go down really well.

Or maybe not - Charlie thinks Bill is more likely to rip him limb from limb.

So he helps Victoire open a present and holds Molly as she squirms in his arms because Percy and Audrey are trying to stop Lucy destroying the plastic Christmas tree the hospital staff have set up.

Charlie vaguely wonders why they're so bothered. The tree's cheap and tacky, obviously fake – and a bit like him. He's sat here after screwing his brother's wife, isn't he? Pretending nothing's wrong and that has 'fake' written all over it in permanent marker.

He's focusing on his nieces and nephews so he doesn't become tempted into thinking about Fleur giving birth to his child – which is another sign of how fake he really is. In this situation, Charlie is about as realistic as a Muggle Barbie doll.

He wonders what his child - no, his _niece_ he corrects himself – will look like.

Once again, Charlie has to remind himself that he doesn't know for certain that the baby Fleur is carrying is his.

:-:

"Charlie," Bill calls, coming into the waiting room. "Bring Vic down and you can meet your goddaughter."

"A girl?" Charlie chokes out. "Congratulations!" He picks up his niece and follows his brother down the white corridors, trying to stop shaking because he's guilty.

"They're in here," Bill says and Charlie deposits Victoire on the floor and she runs into the room. For a moment, Charlie debates confessing to Bill but then he just shuffles into the small room which Fleur is in.

"Hi," Charlie says. "Congratulations."

"Thank you, Charlie," she beams. "'Ere, 'old leetle Dominique."

Charlie carefully lifts the small bundle from Fleur's arms and he can feel Bill's eyes on him as he straightens up, gently cradling the baby.

"She's beautiful," he whispers as he takes in the fiery hair, the freckles and the small hands with tiny fingernails.

"She is," Bill agrees, slightly stiffly.

Just then, Dominique's eyes open and Charlie finds himself staring into navy eyes that are the double of his and his stomach drops because he's the only one in the damn _family_ with eyes that colour and he's sure Bill knows.

At the same time as fear hits him, like a proverbial ton of bricks, he feels joy wash over him because she's definitely _his_ daughter and she's perfect.

Fleur looks at him, her smile slipping slightly, and she bites her lip. Her crystal blue eyes are pleading with him, screaming _I'm so sorry!_

:-:

He reluctantly hands Dominique back to Fleur and sees Bill watching him, motioning for him to leave the room. Charlie obliges with Bill close behind and when they are both out in the corridor, Bill closes the door.

Silence falls between the two brothers and then Bill sighs.

"She's yours."

He doesn't ask, he states it because Bill isn't stupid. He doesn't even raise his voice and Charlie wants him to because a screaming and ranting Bill would be preferable to this resigned and cold one.

"I'm really sorry, Bill," Charlie says in a low voice. "I... I was drunk, I shouldn't have..."

Bill cuts him off with a wave of his hand.

"Charlie, it hurts, okay?" he growls. "It _hurts_ because I knew Dominique wasn't mine when Fleur told me she was pregnant. It _hurts_ because I didn't expect it to be an immaculate conception but I didn't expect the father to be my little brother and it _fucking hurts_ that the beautiful little girl in there isn't my daughter but I can't change what's happened." He runs a hand through his hair and shakes his head, taking a deep breath. "I love you, Charlie, and I know that you didn't mean to hurt me... No, don't speak!" Bill says when Charlie opens his mouth. "I'm fucking _fuming,_ Charlie, I don't want any crap. This is hard enough for me to say."

He pauses, his mouth a thin line as he appears to pull all his strength together.

"I want you to take Dominique."

His words tumble free and fall between the two brother's and Charlie's sure he's misheard.

"Excuse me?" Charlie asks, his eyes flying wide open.

"I think Dominique would be best growing up with you," Bill says. "I don't want to take this away from you."

Charlie shakes his head.

"No," his voice is low. "She needs Fleur and you'll be a much better father than I am and we both know it."

"She's your _daughter_ Charlie!" Bill points out, surprise in his tone and his eyes weary.

"Which is why I want her to have a real family," Charlie says. "And I think you and Fleur need _something_ to get you through this."

Charlie can't believe he's doing this because he wants to take Bill up on the offer, take Dominique and run with her and revel in the fact that he has a daughter but he can't. He's put Bill through enough and taking Dominique away would probably kill his marriage. Charlie can't do that.

Bill just looks at his brother and hugs him, trying to put a lot of emotion into that embrace because no words can really express his gratitude.

"Thank you," he says because he needs to say something but the words are inadequate as Charlie's doing something so large when it's killing him inside.

A little bit like Charlie's actions killed _Bill_ inside.

"No," Charlie shakes his head. "Thank you, Bill. For... You know."

The two men head back into the room and celebrate in the birth of Dominique Weasley, an agreement formed. Charlie kisses his daughter goodbye and leaves the room, leaving the family behind on, what he decides is, the most significant day of his life.

:-:

_Sixteen years later_

Charlie expects it to be a usual day, not the most important he's ever had because he doesn't think that a cold, wet day in December will bring life-changing news. It's just another morning on the reserve to him and he's thinking about feeding a pregnant Chinese Fireball when he hears a crash from his fireplace.

He pulls his wand out and spins around to see Dominique, his daughter, on the stone floor, picking herself up and muttering curses.

"What in the name of Merlin's bra are you doing here, Dom?" he asks, slightly horrified. "Your parents will _kill_ me and then feed me to the dragons!"

Dom just tosses her flame coloured curls as she picks herself up and straightens her clothes, blinking those navy eyes at him.

"I told Mum and Dad I wanted to see the Reserve," she says. "And they said okay."

Charlie folds his arms and raises an eyebrow at her.

"What?" she asks.

"Dom, I know you're a bloody good liar but you seem to forget I can see through you," Charlie points out and Dominique huffs a sigh and hoists herself up onto his kitchen table.

"Fine, fine," she admits as he hands her a cup of tea. "I didn't ask permission."

"You just decided to Floo across several continents?" Charlie suggests and Dom grins before looking serious.

"Kind of," she shrugs. "I wanted to see you and I've always wanted to work with dragons, anyway."

_She's definitely mine_ Charlie thinks. _With a love for dragons like that, how could she not be_?

"I actually heard Mum and Bill talking last night," she says calmly. "They were talking about you and saying that... That I was your daughter."

Charlie drops the teapot and stares at her. She's completely calm, sitting on his table and swinging her legs. _How can she be so bloody calm_? He wonders. She should be crying, a sobbing wreck, or screaming at him for keeping it a secret. She shouldn't be drinking tea like they're talking about the weather.

"Mum was horrified to realise Bill knew and then he told her he'd know all my life and you'd let them keep me," she continues, ignoring the shattered china.

"Why aren't you angry?" Charlie asks her. "Why aren't you ranting and raving? Why aren't you furious?"

"I've always known as well," she shrugs. "I mean, I look like you, I act like you, you were the only person who supported me when I went to Slytherin and you always come home to see _me_ on my Birthday but none of the other cousins."

"It's Christmas," Charlie protests.

"You don't even come home on May 2nd which is the anniversary of Voldemort's defeat," Dominique says. "That's _way_ more important than Christmas for most of our family but you don't come."

"I'm sorry," Charlie apologises. "I just... I stand by what I said to Bill when you were born. You deserve to grow up with two parents and siblings."

"And I have!" Dominique leaps off the table. "I have, I've been there and I've done that and I've got the bloody T-shirt. Now I want to live with _my father_ and work with dragons and just get to be me, like I can with you."

Charlie stares at her, scarcely able to believe he could have been a party in creating something so wonderful, so beautiful, so wild...

"Welcome home, Dom," he says and his daughter rushes into his arms, giggling as he swings her around the kitchen.

Now he realises, her birth _was_ the most significant day in his life but this... this is the most significant day of his _existence_.

:-:


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: A nice, big dose of TeddyVicky for all you TeddyLily supporters :) Madeline's is Vicky's younger sister, in my little anti-JK pairings world..._

**in a flurry of rose petals**

Yeah, the wedding isn't _absolutelybloodyperfect, _but they wouldn't have wanted it to be.

Victoire is jumpy and nervous the whole time - scared that Bill and Fleur will burst in at any moment and send her home. Madeline's purple mini-dress is far too short and low-cut for a wedding, even a secret one held in a small Muggle chapel. Teddy's hair changes to light pink, Vicky's favorite color, when he kisses her, startling the Muggle minister.

But Vicky looks gorgeous in her floaty white sundress and Teddy is grinning bigger than he ever has is his whole life and Maddie, their witness and only guest, feels tears prickling at her eyes when she sees the love and light shining out of Vicky's and Teddy's faces.

Vicky throws her bouquet, and Maddie lunges to catch it and misses, because her dress is too tight (but she doesn't want to marry, anyway). The newly-weds go off in a flurry of distinctly magical rose petals to catch their Portkey to Italy, wher they will spend three weeks just _being,_ before they must return home to the dreaded encounter with Bill, Fleur and Andromeda. But that doesn't matter, because if you looked all over the world, you couldn't find two happier, more complete people.

And it's not _traditional_, not _flawless_, but it's _wonderful_. It's the most special day in both of their lives, and if they live to be 200, they will never, _ever _forget it.

And so, they are married.


End file.
